When art deals with contemporary social and political issues, the outcome can sometimes be uncertain. The Joe Goode Performance Group’s two pieces, “Stay Together” and “Deeply There (stories of a neighborhood),” performed last weekend at the CFA Theater, masterfully utilized dance to create a powerful and extraordinary piece dealing with difficult and painful subjects.

It is important to note that Joe Goode’s company is not defined as a dance company, but as a performance group. His pieces incorporate dialogue, instrumental music, lyrics, and television screens along with dance. According to the group’s website, Joe Goode created the Joe Goode Performance Group (JGPG) in 1986 in the hope of promoting “understanding, compassion, and tolerance among people.”

The company performs annually in San Francisco, as well as touring throughout the United States and various other countries.

Not only did Joe Goode direct and choreograph the two pieces performed this past weekend, but he also performed in both of them. The first, shorter piece, “Stay Together,” was a half-hour-long segment about holding onto self and dealing with relationships in a modern, hectic world. It started with four dancers moving as two couples. A woman walked onstage and lowers herself into a chair. The audience quickly realized that this chair was placed in front of a camera and her face was projected onto a large screen behind her as she began to talk.

The piece recreated a chaotic world through the use of many types of media. The viewer was forced to take in the projected face reciting a powerful monologue while watching a smaller screen with another face and simultaneously absorbing the four dancers and the music, provided by Michael Tilson Thomas, then music director of the San Francisco Symphony.

“Stay Together” also focused on the theme of staying in relationships versus being alone. Six performers danced alone, while one performer moved from dancer to dancer and joined them, providing a strong contrast between a life alone and sharing life with another person.

The most notable part of the evening was the second half, a piece entitled “Deeply There (stories of a neighborhood),” which was about how relatives, neighbors, and friends cope with a loved one dying of AIDS.

“The events and characters in this story are drawn from the many ‘true’ stories of my neighborhood in the Castro district of San Francisco,” explained Joe Goode in his description of “Deeply There.”

First performed in 1998, the piece was strongly music and lyric-driven, while also beautifully accented by strong moments of dance. It displayed a wide range of characters: a drag queen, a lesbian, an overly optimistic neighbor, an uptight sister, and the deeply sad partner of the dying man, played by Joe Goode himself. The many characters led to a variety of songs and dances.

“Stay Together” and “Deeply There (stories of a neighborhood),” though very different, both embodied the spirit of the JGPG. The group portrayed a desire to experiment and take risks, displayed passionate human emotions, and always left the audience wondering what could happen next.